The Mafia Blues
by issaxchan
Summary: 1925, New York. The age where the buildings are taller, the women wear less, and the music of Jazz is heard in every corner of the street. It is also the era of Prohibition, and for the Vongola Famiglia, it is the perfect time to prosper.


**So you see, I was in a movie theatre, planning to watch The Dark Knight Rises (great movie!). Then the trailer for The Great Gatsby showed up. And that's when I thought of KHR. Like, what if KHR was set in 1920s NYC? When I went home and lay down on my bed, I started recalling movies, novels and anime that was set in that era. And tada! This is the result of those nightly memories searching and surfing the net. I hope you'll like it!**

**Inspirations taken from: The Godfather 1-3, Baccano! Light novels, and a bit of Cowboy Bebop.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

**Summary: 1925, New York. The age where the buildings are taller, the women wear less, and the music of Jazz is heard in every corner of the street. It is also era of Prohibition, and for the Vongola Famiglia, it is the perfect time to prosper.**

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**Chapter 1: Dardanella**

March 1925

Somewhere in an alley in Little Italy, a young man in black fedora hat and coat lit his cigarette as he stood under an awning of a small jazz hall. Above the front door hangs the sign _Namimori_ with a small bird decorated at the side. Puffing out smoke, the man tucked his hat under his arm as he brushed back his hair, which glistened like silver threads in the faint light. He leaned on the wall with both hands in his pocket and looked up the sky.

It was only noon but the sky was so dark that one would think it was already the night. The rain had been pouring down since yesterday as the winter season slowly drifts away.

_I like it when it rains,_ the young man thought, _it makes work much easier._

The man looked at his wrist watch as he threw the cigarette bud, and deciding that there's still time before the rendezvous, lit another stick of cigar between his lips and went back to staring up the sky. It has been a year since he arrived in this country. The tenth decided to expand the Vongola family's influence overseas and saw an opportunity in America when the National Prohibition Act was mandated.

_Prohibition_, he thought with a smirk. _These Americans really are as stupid as they look. Really, banning alcohol beverages would stop the people from drinking it? Hah! In this day and age, everybody's a sinner. _

The silver-haired man dragged on his cigarette and nonchalantly shifted his gaze to the door beside him.

The Vongola's 10th had assigned him to handle the expansion and upon arriving in New York, he immediately established Namimori to serve as foundation for the influence of the family in the United States. On the outside, Namimori is an ordinary store where customers gather and eat to listen to musicians play jazz on stage but just below the hall, through the hidden staircase, is a bar where various wines and beers are sold to the shop's patrons.

"And our patrons," the man said to himself as he glanced back to his watch, "are mostly those damn corrupt government officials." He threw the half finished cigarette while putting on his fedora hat. _It's time._

The silver-haired young man walked out to the streets into the pouring rain with his hands inside his pockets.

**._.oOo._.**

"Yo, Hayato!" called an older man in the driver's seat. He was also wearing the same black fedora hat. "Hey, Basil! Open the door for 'im!" He hollered to the man seated beside him. Basil immediately scrambled out the car and clumsily opened an umbrella over the young man while clearly it was no use as the Gokudera's already drenched under the rain.

"Thi-this way, Mr. Gokudera," the man with the umbrella said.

_He must be new_, Gokudera thought as emerald eyes assess the man before him. Basil seemed to be in his early twenties, probably the same age as him though a little shorter, with sandy-blonde hair and light complexion. He also wears the same black fedora hat, a traditional symbol for the members of the family.

As they walked in front of the car's door, Gokudera noticed that Basil paused for a moment then shifted his gaze from the front to the back seat, as if thinking where his superior should sit. Without waiting for the blond man to make a decision, Gokudera opened the door to the front seat beside the driver and let himself in.

"Why'd ye walk under this downpour without even bringin' an umbrella?" the driver asked as he drove past a hat store.

Moretti, the driver, is a forty-year old man with small eyes and thin lips. Gokudera had known him for six years. The first time they met was when he first arrived in the Vongola's headquarters in Italy after learning that his best friend was the Vongola's next generation boss. Moretti became their guardian as Gokudera and his friends adjust to the life of a Mafiosi and because of that, they grew fond of the older man. And though he wouldn't admit it, Gokudera was pleased to have Moretti as his assistant here in New York.

"I like the rain," the young man said coolly.

The older man looked at him in the corner of his eye, and seeing that the silver-haired man won't say anything more, he said, "Yeah, well, now the car's drenched from yer coat," and after a pause, he continued, "Kyoya said it was the Carcassas." For a moment, Gokudera wondered what Moretti meant, then realization hit him and he quickly turned his gaze out the window as he remembered his men's decapitated bodies.

He had long known that expansion and rivalry goes hand-in-hand. To expand a family's territory would mean to take some from other Mafia families. Recently, there had been news that drugs were being distributed within the Vongola's turf. The tenth was strictly against drug dealings as it would lose the family's ties with the government, therefore stopping the distribution of drugs within the territory had been their top priority. And upon investigation, it was found that the drug dealings were under control of another family. In the crucial moment when he would finally know which family intruded in their turf, Gokudera's men in charge of the investigation were found dead along the Hudson River.

"Those Carcassa bastards!" spat the silver-haired man. He'd kill them. He'd murder them all the way they murdered his men and dump them to the river. Of course he knew he can do it. With the power and influence of Vongola family on his hands, annihilating the Carcassas wouldn't be an exaggeration. He can almost laugh at how stupid those bastards are to mess with Vongola.

"You alright, Mr. Gokudera?" Basil asked from behind.

The young man glanced to the side mirror and saw Basil staring at him through it. Looking at his own reflection, he noticed that though his lips had a small smirk, his eyes shone with malice. Like a madman on his way for cold blood murder.

"Don' ye think too much about it, Hayato," said Moretti beside him. "We'll take care of those hoodlums soon, but fers, let's deal with business."

"Right, business," said Gokudera, more to himself than the older man. He placed his thumb and index finger between his closed eyes as he tried to calm himself. He felt the car make a sharp turn.

_I have to clear my mind first. _He let out a sigh._ I can't let Kyoya see me in such dishevelled state._

He heard the engine die down and the sound of the pouring rain grew louder. "Here we are," the driver said. The young man opened his eyes and saw that they stopped in front of an old Chinese restaurant. The door and windows are finely decorated with red wood, and paper lanterns with Chinese writings hang on the awnings. Soft glow of yellow light emanates from the restaurant.

Before Gokudera could even open the door, Basil was already outside waiting for him with an umbrella on his hand. He stepped out of the car and shoved the blond man aside as he walked towards the entrance with his hands inside his pockets. _And I can't let Kyoya see me with a man holding the umbrella for me like a sissy._

"Welcome, dear customer," the smiling waitress greeted him in strong Chinese accent.

"We're here to meet Mr. Cavolfiore," stated Gokudera with Basil and Moretti at his sides. The waitress paused for a moment and looked at them with caution. Slowly, she moves her hand behind her back as she quietly took a step back. Sensing hostility, Gokudera held tightly on his pistol hidden inside his pocket, ready to draw and shoot the lady in front of him.

"It's alright, they're with me." Hearing the man's voice, Gokudera instinctively frowned and loosened his grip on his pistol. "Kyoya Hibari," he said without bothering to hide his annoyance.

The man that appeared had short raven hair with bangs hovering over his brows. He had a handsome face and pale complexion. On his hand, he carried a suit case while the other was hidden beneath his suit's pocket. His appearance, his speech and the way he carried himself gave an illusion of a respectable man though his sharp grey eyes showed he was someone not to be crossed with. And Gokudera knows this firsthand.

"Come, Mr. Cavolfiore's already at the table waiting for us," said Kyoya, ignoring the young man's rude greeting. He turned around and started walking without waiting for any response.

**._.oOo._.**

The actions of the man in the suit clearly confused Basil. Before joining the Vongola family, he already heard rumours of who Gokudera was. He knew he was the right hand man of Vongola's tenth. The silver-haired man was known as ruthless among his enemies while generous, calm and extremely perceptive among his allies. But generally, everybody respected him, either out of fear or gratitude. Basil stared at the back of the head of Kyoya Hibari as he pondered how he simply ignored the well-respected Gokudera and walk away.

Shifting his gaze ahead, Basil saw that Kyoya was leading them towards the red velvet drapes at the far-side of the dining hall. In front of the drapes, two large men stood threateningly with Tommy guns in their hands. Basil quickly reached out for his gun inside his pocket and glanced at the silver-haired man for a signal to shoot.

Before he could decide if Gokudera made a signal, one of the men raised his gun and asked, "Need something, buddy?"

Basil was already determined to shoot the man that dared threatened his superior but Kyoya suddenly stepped between the guard and the Vongola. He shoved the gun aside. "We need to talk to your boss, and I'm not your buddy," he said coolly as if talking to these men was a waste of his time.

Offended, the man reached out to grab Kyoya by the collar but was immediately countered by Kyoya's swift movements. He took hold of the gun and flipped the man with his hands. A second later, the man was lying on his back, Kyoya's sole on the man's neck and the gun pointed at the other guard's throat.

"Don't ruin the suit," Kyoya said barely above whisper at the man beneath his foot. His gray eyes glint fiercely as his bangs slightly obscure them from view, making his glare deadlier than it already was.

It was a moment later that Basil realized he had stood frozen, his hand still gripped on his pistol, as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"Show off," he heard Gokudera mutter. "You better remove your foot, Kyoya. Otherwise you'll choke him."

Basil silently agreed to his superior, seeing that the man on the floor was already turning blue in the face. With a _tch_, Kyoya remove his foot and threw the gun to the floor. Seeing an opening the remaining guard made a move on Kyoya. This time, Basil took out his pistol and pointed at the guard. He pulled the trigger and loud screams erupted inside the dining hall.

"That's enough!" a man's voice bellowed within the velvet drapes drowning the screams in the background. And a second later, the hall was silent. Basil saw a man with blue eyes emerged from the drapes and said, "Ms. Xing, please escort the customers out of the restaurant," he gestured to the Chinese lady that greeted them earlier. With a nod, the lady walked away and attended to the customers.

The blue-eyed man then looked around, giving a glance to each of them, and Basil noticed that the man's eyes lingered longer at him, or maybe at his pistol, before shifting his gaze. "Berto, bring Jack to the hospital, have little Mike drive you there." Berto, the man who first attacked Kyoya leaned over the guard Basil shot. It appears that Basil hadn't killed the man but simply shot him on his thigh. For reason unknown, he felt a wave of relief.

"I've heard rumours, but I didn't think Vongolas are this violent," the man said, as his two subordinates left the hall. Again, the man glanced at Basil, making the latter feel guilty.

"Your men made the first move," Gokudera stated firmly.

For a moment they just stared at each other, then the blue-eyed man shook his head and said, "Ah, where are my manners?" He walked towards Gokudera. This alarmed Basil. He gripped his pistol tighter and lifted his gun to point at the blue-eyed man. Suddenly, a hand brought his pistol down. Basil turned and saw Moretti shaking his head.

_What are you doing?_ Basil thought fiercely. _That man is going to attack Mr. Gokudera!_

Basil opened his mouth to say what he thought when he caught a glimpse of the man in question raising his hand in front of Gokudera. But instead of seeing a pistol, the man's hand was empty. "My name's Daniel Cavolfiore and welcome to my restaurant, Mr. Gokudera," the man said gesturing for a handshake.

Gokudera didn't make any gesture to take the hand, but simply looked straight into the man's blue eyes. The man smiled and retrieved his hand back. "And," he said as he gestured to the raven haired man, "I didn't know you would be present in this meeting, Mr. Hibari."

"It is my job, after all, Mr. Cavolfiore," Kyoya said in a tone he'd rather be anywhere than there. "Now, we are wasting time. I'd like to have this meeting started otherwise I'll charge extra for extended time," he continued as he straightened his tie.

Mr. Cavolfiore chuckled softly then said, "Very well, follow me."

**._.oOo._.**

While Hibari, Gokudera and Mr. Cavolfiore were having their meeting inside the velvet room, Moretti and Basil stood guard on the entrance with a few of Mr. Cavolfiore's men. Moretti looked at the other men. He noticed that Mr. Cavolfiore's men are huge, with lean muscles and big hands. He was sure that if these men were to attack him and Basil, there's no way they'd stand a chance and that would mean Gokudera and Kyoya would be left on their own in an enemy's territory.

Surprisingly, Moretti smiled. _Well, if it's Gokudera and Kyoya, there's nothin' ter worry about._

He had known those two since they were just youngsters. He remembered when the previous Vongola's 9th had told him that some Japanese men, accompanying the next Vongola boss, will arrive in the family's mansion and that he will be in charge of tending to their needs. Moretti had imagined that these Japanese are well-grown men instead, what entered the doors were a couple of youngsters, not even reaching the age of manhood.

"_Go home kid, yer not fit to be a Mafiosi, and ye know it," said Moretti to a beaten fifteen-year old Gokudera. It was the fifth time since the kid had been caught handing out the family's money to the beggars. And though it was a rightful deed, in the Mafia, it was as idiotic thing to do._

_He looked at the kid then kneeled down beside him. "Listen kid. If ye wanna hand out money, then earn more of those hard cash. Work harder, earn more. Then be one of those executives in some big company. That way, no one'll bother stoppin' ye from handin' out money."_

_The boy kept his head down, but Moretti could see that his fists tightened, probably pondering on what he just said. The older man stood up and went out of the room, leaving the boy on floor._

Of course, Moretti had expected the boy to leave. But the following morning, the boy was already out on his way to do the boss's bidding and when the kid turned to look at him, Moretti saw in the pair of emerald eyes a strong resolve to stay in the family. A few years later, that silver-haired kid became the Vongola's tenth right hand man and now he is in charge of the family's American branch. Even with the responsibility of being one of the top executives in the organization, Moretti would sometimes catch Gokudera visiting an orphanage or a charity foundation.

_Ol' habits never die, eh?_ He thought with a smile.

"Hey, old man! I leave you for an hour and you go smiling at yourself like some lunatic," called Gokudera after emerging from the room.

_Seemed like the meeting was over._ "Heh. Just rememberin' the good ol' times," said Moretti placing a hand on the silver-haired man's shoulder. "The time yer still some snot-nosed kid."

Gokudera suddenly blushed with embarrassment as Mr. Cavolfiore and his men snorted at the remark. "I-I wasn't a snot-nosed kid!" He exclaimed glaring at the men. He shoved Moretti's hand and walk straight to the exit with Basil hot on his heel.

"He's always so sensitive," Kyoya sighed then glanced up to Moretti and said, "Take care." Then the raven-haired man walked out of the dining hall.

**._.oOo._.**

Along the streets of downtown Manhattan, a slow song echoes through the misty air.

_Oh sweet Dardanella_

_I love your harem eyes._

_I'm a lucky fellow_

_To capture such a prize._

Gokudera stood at a corner of the street as he waited to cross the road.

He told Moretti and Basil to go ahead to the headquarters since he felt like walking downtown. Both men were against the idea of him wandering around an enemy's turf but soon consented since it was an order. But before they drove off, Basil insisted that Gokudera bring an umbrella as the rain still hadn't stopped.

_Oh Allah knows, my love for you,_

_And he tells you to be true_

_Dardanella, Oh hear my sigh,_

_My Oreintal,_

Gokudera lit a smoke as he stared absent-mindedly ahead while crossing the street.

The meeting with Mr. Cavolfiore went on smoothly. In exchange for a part of his land, the Vongola would supply his restaurants monthly with high quality wines imported from Europe. It was a fair price as the law banned the production of alcoholic beverages in the State. Kyoya was there to act as the Lawyer in charge of the contract. Of course, the statement in the contract was altered to make the deal legal under the law.

_Oh sweet Dardanella_

_Prepare the wedding wine,_

_There'll be one girl in my harem_

_When you're mine._

The young man looked up and noticed that the rain had already stopped pouring though the sky was still dark with grey clouds. He folded the umbrella and upon looking ahead, a glimpse of pale pink caught his eyes.

_We'll build a tent_

_Just like the children_

_Of the Orient,_

"Really Miss! I do not know why you'd want to come in this part of the town," said a maid in hushed tone. "But Ms. Ellen, I only have a couple of weeks to stay. I want to see every part of this island," the young lady replied. Both of them were crossing from the other side of the street.

Generally, Gokudera wouldn't even bother looking at other people's face, but the pair of a maid and a lady caught his attention. It's true that a lady accompanied by her maid seen strolling in downtown Manhattan is a rarity itself since the wealthy crowd resides on the upper east side of the island. But what stood out of the pair was the peculiar clothing the lady was wearing.

In a crowd where women wore shorter skirts, the girl's long pale pink kimono was a strange sight. Other than that, women now prefers shorter hair as it displays their masculine personality and equality among men but the girl's black hair was long, carelessly flowing behind her back. Her peculiarity among the crowd was obvious as other people turn to look at her though she seemed oblivious of it.

He unconsciously stopped walking and stared at the girl as the ladies drew closer. Suddenly, the girl turned and he caught her eyes. She paused for a moment before shifting her gaze to her maid. Faint pink dusted her cheeks.

_Oh, sweet Dardanella_

_My star of love divine!_

The song ended and the street went silent. Gokudera hastily crossed the road at the opposite direction of the pair.

_Damn it!_ He thought. He hung down his head as he felt himself blush.

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